Discount fashion chain Primark has joined a raft of other retailers today as it said that sales came in below expectations because of the unseasonably warm weather.

Primark, which is owed by Associated British Foods, said the warm autumn had affected like-for-like sales (from stores opened for more than a year), echoing similar recent warnings by Next and New Look.

The trading update, which took place during ABF annual general meeting, sent shares down 4 per cent at one point today, although they rebounded to trade 0.3 per cent lower, or 8.5p off at 3,191.5p.

Fashionable: Primark recently announced a ‘magnificent’ year with sales of nearly £5billion

Charles Stanley analyst Rae Ellingham said: ‘The announcement may serve as a reminder to investors that consistent growth at Primark is not guaranteed and we remain concerned at the high valuation being applied by investors.’

When including sales at new stores, however, Primark said total sales were still up 10 per cent over the past two months.

The fashion chain, which recently announced a ‘magnificent’ year with sales of nearly £5billion and a 29 per cent rise in profits, has expanded rapidly over recent years, cashing in on the popularity of its cheap but fashionable clothes.

It has opened 164 stores in the UK and a total of 278 stores in nine countries and plans to continue with expansion, increasing store space of one million sq ft in the current financial year.

Primark currently has 10million sq ft of store space - seven times the size of its entire footprint in 2000.

Despite lower-than-expected sales, Primark's profit estimate for the year to September was unchanged because the company budgeted for a higher level of mark-downs this year.

ABF Foods, which is listed on the FTSE 100, employs 118,000 people in 47 countries and also has operations in sugar, agriculture, grocery and ingredients. Brands include Ryvita, Ovaltine, Silver Spoon, Kingsmill and Patak's.

Many fashion retailers have recently warned of lower sales due to prolonged warm weather.

Plus-sized discount chain Bonmarche this week said trading conditions had become more difficult and had continued into the second half due to the unseasonable temperatures that kept shoppers away from buying jumpers and coats.

Fashion retailer New Look also worried about the weather, reporting a boost to its half-year profits last month but saying it remained cautious about its outlook.

Last month fashion retailers Next and SuperGroup cut their profits guidance for the year after the sustained period of mild weather hit sales.

Next’s profit downgrade came after sales for the 13 weeks to October 25 grew by 5.4 per cent, below its previous forecast of 10 per cent, as shoppers held off on buying coats and jumpers.